The invention relates to a portable orientation system which, when for example the human sense of vision fails, can make information gathered from the surroundings available to another human sense.
In blind people, the brain centers which are responsible for sensory perception and hearing are particularly active. A large amount of information on the surroundings which cannot be perceived consciously by people with normal vision is sensed by blind people and is used as an orientation aid. Thus, even in the Middle Ages a method of acoustic orientation, based on the reflection of sound from objects in the surroundings, was practiced in various regions of Europe. The noises necessary for echo generation, for example clicking or snapping noises, were produced with the tongue or by knocking together two hard pieces of wood. According to the information available, blind people could in this way detect obstacles, for example trees, with a diameter of over 10 cm, even in the open air after a learning phase of only a few months.
Examples of orientation in the surroundings using sensors other than vision are also known from the animal world. For example bats emit ultrasonic sound waves, sense the reflections of these waves and use them to determine their surroundings. However, due to a lack of hearing sensitivity in this frequency range, it is not possible for humans to orientate themselves in this way.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a portable orientation system which makes it possible, given the failure of a sense, to orient oneself in unfamiliar surroundings or to orientate oneself in surroundings under conditions in which orientation is normally not possible for a human being.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a portable orientation system, including:
a sensor unit configured to selectively sense information on surroundings that is normally sensed by human senses;
a signal processing unit connected to the sensor unit and processing signals supplied by the sensor unit;
an output unit operatively connected to the signal processing unit;
a control module for controlling at least one option selected from the group consisting of a sensing option for the sensor unit, a processing option for the signal processing unit, and an output option for the output unit; and
a power supply unit connected to the signal processing unit.
In other words, the object of the invention is achieved with a portable orientation system having a sensor unit for selectively sensing information on the surroundings which is normally sensed by human senses, a signal processing unit which is connected to the sensor unit and has the purpose of processing the signals of the sensor unit, an output unit which transmits the information on the surroundings to the human senses and which is connected to the signal processing unit, a control module for controlling sensing and/or processing and/or output options of the sensor, the signal processing unit and the output unit, and a power supply unit.
The orientation system according to the invention can sense information gathered from the surroundings and convert it in such a way that different senses can access it. A significant field of application is the provision of support for visually impaired or blind people. In a favorable embodiment, a stereoscopic image detection unit, which operates either according to the visual (optical) or auditory (acoustic) principle, collects the information on the surroundings and passes it to the signal processing unit. Loudspeakers or earphones which enable the information on the surroundings to be accessed using the sense of hearing are the primary possibilities as an output unit. Another advantageous possibility, in particular for deaf and blind people, includes vibration transmission elements which, for example, transmit vibrations via bones or via inductive coupling to cochlea apparatus prostheses.
The control module permits various system components to be controlled. In this way, perception can be controlled in accordance with the positioning of the eyeballs and the focusing on a near or distant object in sighted people. Advantageous control of the control module is carried out through the use of movements of the eyebrows which are sensed through the use of sensors. When the information on the surroundings is sensed visually, video cameras are used, but it is also possible to use ultrasonic sound receivers if they are combined with an ultrasonic sound transmitter so that the system evaluates the echo. Video cameras can also operate in the infrared range. They are advantageously combined with infrared transmitters.
Thus, according to a preferred feature of the invention, the sensor unit includes at least one video camera, and the signal processing unit includes an image detection unit for detecting or recognizing objects based on the information on the surroundings. The at least one video camera preferably has a filter unit.
By using sensors for infrared light or ultrasonic sound it is also possible to expand the perception spectrum of normally sighted people.
According to another feature of the invention, an ultrasonic sound transmitter is provided and the sensor unit has an ultrasonic sound receiver.
According to yet another feature of the invention, an infrared transmitter is provided and the at least one video camera is sensitive to infrared light.
According to a further feature of the invention, the output unit has vibration actuators.
According to yet a further feature of the invention, the control module has movement sensors for sensing eyebrow movements.
It is advantageous if all components of the system are integrated in a spectacle frame so that the orientation system can be carried comfortably and inconspicuously.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a portable orientation system, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.